Metta-Cetovimutti Is a Heartwood of Dhamma Practice
[Presented by Dr.Tep Sastri @ SD/JTN]

Realizing that I have mentioned 'metta-cetovimutti' several times before, now it is time for me to explain what this term means.

Definition: Ceto-vimutti is 'deliverance of mind'. In the highest sense it signifies the fruition of Arahatship, and in particular, the concentration associated with it. It is often linked with the 'deliverance through wisdom' (pa~n~naa-vimutti).

Thus Metta-cetovimutti is the method for attaining release (deliverance, vimutti) of the mind (Ceto) through metta development.
.............

"Thus from the fading of passion is there awareness-release. From the fading of ignorance is there discernment-release."
[Iti kho bhikkhave raagaviraagaa cetovimutti, avijjaaviraagaa pa~n~naavimuttiiti.] http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The term "fading of passion" is a rendition of the Pali 'raaga-viraagaa' and 'fading of ignorance' is the translation of 'avijjaa-viraagaa'. Here, 'viraagaa' is equivalent to the abandoning by escaping (cessation, Nibbaana) and then the mind is passion-free. According to Nyanatiloka Dictionary, tranquillity at the moment of fruition can overcome (abandon, pahaana) the passion defilement such that 'raaga' is "forever extinct and stilled". This is known as 'passaddhi pahaana'.

"Monks, this holy life doesn't have as its reward gain, offerings, & fame, doesn't have as its reward consummation of virtue, doesn't have as its reward consummation of concentration, doesn't have as its reward knowledge & vision, but the unprovoked [akuppa] awareness-release: That is the purpose of this holy life, that is its heartwood, that its final end." http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html

The evil combination "greed and distress" [Abhijjhaa-domanassa] is often seen in several major suttas, e.g. Maha-satipatthana Sutta, Dukkhadhammaa Sutta, Mahatanhasankhaya Sutta, Magga-vibhanga Sutta, Saccavibhanga Sutta, and Sekha-patipada Sutta. Other renditions of Abhijjhaa-domanassa are 'covetousness and grief', 'covetousness and displeasure', 'desire and sorrow', and 'longing and depression'.

"And how, bhikkhus, has a bhikkhu comprehended a mode of conduct and manner of dwelling in such a way that as he conducts himself thus and as he dwells thus, evil unwholesome states of covetousness and displeasure do not flow in upon him?"Suppose a man would enter a thorny forest. There would be thorns in front of him, thorns behind him, thorns to his left, thorns to his right, thorns below him, thorns above him. He would go forward mindfully, he would go back mindfully, thinking, 'May no thorn prick me!' So too, bhikkhus, whatever in the world has a pleasing and agreeable nature is called a thorn in the Noble One's Discipline. Having understood this thus as 'a thorn,' one should understand restraint and non-restraint."

"And how, bhikkhus, does a bhikkhu understand as they really are the origin and the passing away of all states whatsoever that entail suffering?

'Iti ruupa.m, iti ruupassa samudayo, iti ruupassa attha"ngamo; ('Such is form, such its origin, such its passing away;)
'iti vedanaa [pe] ('Such is feeling [pe]). 'iti sa~n~naa [pe] ('Such is perception [pe])
'iti sa"nkhaaraa [pe] ('Such are volitional formations [pe])
'iti vi~n~naa.na.m, iti vi~n~naa.nassa samudayo, iti vi~n~naa.nassa attha"ngamo'ti, eva.m kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sabbesa.myeva dukkhadhammaana.m samudaya~nca attha"ngama~nca yathaabhuuta.m pajaanaati.
('Such is consciousness, such its origin, such its passing away': it is in such a way that a bhikkhu understands as they really are the origin and the passing away of all states whatsoever that entail suffering.) [SN 35.244 Dukkhadhamma Sutta: States That Entail Suffering translated from the Pali by Ven Bhikkhu Bodhi]

Immediately after eyes see a form, vipassana awareness arises: 'Iti ruupa.m. Iti rupassa samudayo'. And as a consequence greed or distress (abhijjha-domanassa) does not arise; consciousness cognizes the form with mindfulness that it is alterable, changeable. Thus perceiving occurs without conceiving.

yawares wrote:
...
Immediately after eyes see a form, vipassana awareness arises: 'Iti ruupa.m. Iti rupassa samudayo'. And as a consequence greed or distress (abhijjha-domanassa) does not arise; consciousness cognizes the form with mindfulness that it is alterable, changeable. Thus perceiving occurs without conceiving.

********* Love Buddha's dhamma,
yawares/sirikanya

Hi Yawares,

thanks for posting that. I was reminded of this, from the Samaññaphala Sutta:

"And how does a monk guard the doors of his senses? On seeing a form with the eye, he does not grasp at any theme or details by which — if he were to dwell without restraint over the faculty of the eye — evil, unskillful qualities such as greed or distress might assail him. On hearing a sound with the ear... On smelling an odor with the nose... On tasting a flavor with the tongue... On touching a tactile sensation with the body... On cognizing an idea with the intellect, he does not grasp at any theme or details by which — if he were to dwell without restraint over the faculty of the intellect — evil, unskillful qualities such as greed or distress might assail him. Endowed with this noble restraint over the sense faculties, he is inwardly sensitive to the pleasure of being blameless. This is how a monk guards the doors of his senses.

And also the standard phrase in the satipatthana sutta:

"There is the case where a monk remains focused on the body in & of itself — ardent, alert, & mindful — putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. He remains focused on feelings... mind... mental qualities in & of themselves — ardent, alert, & mindful — putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world.

That seems to come up in many places, the term 'greed and distress' (abhijjhādomanassaṃ). Interesting to see it compared with thorns in a forest.

"Suppose a man would enter a thorny forest. There would be thorns in front of him, thorns behind him, thorns to his left, thorns to his right, thorns below him, thorns above him. He would go forward mindfully, he would go back mindfully, thinking, 'May no thorn prick me!' So too, bhikkhus, whatever in the world has a pleasing and agreeable nature is called a thorn in the Noble One's Discipline. Having understood this thus as 'a thorn,' one should understand restraint and non-restraint."

"Suppose a man would enter a thorny forest. There would be thorns in front of him, thorns behind him, thorns to his left, thorns to his right, thorns below him, thorns above him. He would go forward mindfully, he would go back mindfully, thinking, 'May no thorn prick me!' So too, bhikkhus, whatever in the world has a pleasing and agreeable nature is called a thorn in the Noble One's Discipline. Having understood this thus as 'a thorn,' one should understand restraint and non-restraint."

-----------
Dear SamKR,

for Funny that these thorns pierce ' the presenter ' and the post-er too .

Today I cut my first bloom 'Caribbean' roses for my Buddhas-shrine..they are so beautiful..my birthday gift 2 years ago, it grows fast, big bush with many blooms now.

Saddhamma: True Dhamma
[Presented by Dr.Tep Sastri @ SD/JTN]

What are the seven true dhammas, when a disciple of the noble ones is endowed with, he/she can obtain at will --without difficulty, without trouble-- the four jhaanas that provide a pleasant abiding in the here-&-now? They are the following:

1. He/she has conviction, is convinced of the Tathagata's Awakening. He/she abandons what is unskillful, develops what is skillful, abandons what is blameworthy, develops what is blameless, and looks after him/herself with purity.

4. Whatever teachings are admirable in the beginning, admirable in the middle, admirable in the end, that --in their meaning & expression-- he/she has listened to often, retained, discussed, accumulated, examined with his/her mind, and well-penetrated in terms of views. He/she abandons ...

6. He/she is mindful, highly meticulous, remembering & able to call to mind even things that were done & said long ago. He/she abandons ...

7. He/she is discerning, endowed with discernment leading to the arising of the goal --noble, penetrating, leading to the right ending of stress. He/she abandons what is unskillful, develops what is skillful, abandons what is blameworthy, develops what is blameless, and looks after him/herself with purity.

--------

Tep: It is my understanding that with the seven true dhammas (saddhamma) that are well developed a noble disciple can then obtain the four jhaanas at will.

What are the four pleasant mental abidings in the here & now that a meditator may obtain at will, without difficulty, without hardship? [AN 5.179 Gihi Sutta]

Surprisingly, these four states are the four factors of Stream-entry! :

1. He is endowed with verified confidence in the Awakened One: 'Indeed, the Blessed One is worthy & rightly self-awakened, consummate in knowledge & conduct, well-gone, an expert with regard to the world, unexcelled as a trainer for those people fit to be tamed, the Teacher of divine & human beings, awakened, blessed.' This is the first pleasant mental abiding in the here & now that he has attained, for the purification of the mind that is impure, for the cleansing of the mind that is unclean.

2. He is endowed with verified confidence in the Dhamma: 'The Dhamma is well-expounded by the Blessed One, to be seen here & now, timeless, inviting verification, pertinent, to be realized by the wise for themselves.' ... for the purification of the mind that is impure, for the cleansing of the mind that is unclean.

3. He is endowed with verified confidence in the Sangha: 'The Sangha of the Blessed One's disciples who have practiced well... who have practiced straight-forwardly... who have practiced methodically... who have practiced masterfully-- in other words, the four pairs, the eight individuals-- they are the Sangha of the Blessed One's disciples: worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of respect, the incomparable field of merit for the world.' ... for the purification of the mind that is impure, for the cleansing of the mind that is unclean.

4. He is endowed with virtues that are appealing to the noble ones: untorn, unbroken, unspotted, unsplattered, liberating, praised by the wise, untarnished, leading to concentration. This is the fourth pleasant mental abiding in the here & now that he has attained, for the purification of the mind that is impure, for the cleansing of the mind that is unclean.
[These four are confirmed by AN 10.92 Vera Sutta]

This morning I cut the beautiful AMARYLLIS flowers for my Buddhas shrine...they'll be pretty/fresh for at least a week or more.

The Hindrances Are Obstacles
[Presented by Dr.Tep Sastri @ SD/JTN]

The dangers of the hindrances are pointed out by these two quotes:

[Thag 10.5 Kappa:]
572. "Covered with ignorance, the body's tied down with a four-fold tie, sunk in the floods, caught in the net of latencies."
573. "Conjoined with five hindrances, given over to thought, accompanied with the root of craving, roofed with delusion's roofing."

[AN 7.09:]
"Bhikkhus, without giving up six things it is not possible to abide in the first higher state of the mind.
"What six? Sensual interest, anger, sloth and torpor, restlessness and worry, doubts, and not wisely seeing the dangers of sensuality as it really is. "

---------
"They are called "hindrances" because they hinder and envelop the mind in many ways, obstructing its development (bhavana). According to the Buddhist teachings, spiritual development is twofold: 1) through tranquillity (samatha-bhavana), and 2) through insight (vipassana-bhavana). Tranquillity is gained by complete concentration of the mind during the meditative absorptions (jhana). For achieving these absorptions, the overcoming of the five hindrances, at least temporarily, is a preliminary condition. It is especially in the context of achieving the absorptions that the Buddha often mentions the five hindrances in his discourses.

"Not only the meditative absorptions but also lesser degrees of mental concentration are impeded by these five hindrances. So is the neighborhood (or "access") concentration (upacara samadhi), being the preliminary stage for the fully absorbed concentration (appana) reached in jhana. Likewise excluded by the presence of the hindrances is the momentary concentration (khanika-samadhi) which has the strength of neighborhood concentration and is required for mature insight (vipassana). But apart from these higher stages of mental development, any earnest attempt at clear thinking and pure living will be seriously affected by the presence of these five hindrances.

"This widespread harmful influence of the five hindrances shows the urgent necessity of breaking down their power by constant effort. One should not believe it sufficient to turn one's attention to the hindrances only at the moment when one sits down for meditation. Such last-minute effort in suppressing the hindrances will rarely be successful unless helped by previous endeavor during one's
ordinary life."

This morning I cut the beautiful AMARYLLIS flowers for my Buddhas shrine...they'll be pretty/fresh for at least a week or more.

These are beautiful flowers
I always picked these ones for our flower arrangements for the Buddha rupa at Meetirigala.

"For a disciple who has conviction in the Teacher's message & lives to penetrate it, what accords with the Dhamma is this:
'The Blessed One is the Teacher, I am a disciple. He is the one who knows, not I." - MN. 70 Kitagiri Sutta

This morning I cut the beautiful AMARYLLIS flowers for my Buddhas shrine...they'll be pretty/fresh for at least a week or more.

These are beautiful flowers
I always picked these ones for our flower arrangements for the Buddha rupa at Meetirigala.

Beautiful flowers, they have a fragrance also yes?

"This widespread harmful influence of the five hindrances shows the urgent necessity of breaking down their power by constant effort. One should not believe it sufficient to turn one's attention to the hindrances only at the moment when one sits down for meditation. Such last-minute effort in suppressing the hindrances will rarely be successful unless helped by previous endeavor during one's
ordinary life."

Yes. In my experience, what our mind does while off the meditation cushion, needs to be attended to, for meditation to succeed. Renunciation is a way of life, not just an occasional pursuit. (I write this here to agree with what you posted above, and to admonish myself to strive with more effort!)

BlackBird wrote:[quote
These are beautiful flowers
I always picked these ones for our flower arrangements for the Buddha rupa at Meetirigala.

Dear BlackBird,

Is Meetirigala = temple? Meditation Center??..And YES...Amaryllis flowers are beautiful and bloom for a long time..too bad they only give flowers in early spring only..not summer/fall/winter

yawares

Yeah it's a Sri Lankan forest monastery where they practice meditation. It is quite well known in Sri Lanka.

manas wrote:
Beautiful flowers, they have a fragrance also yes?

Most do not, there's a variety of the pink and white one's shown above in the photo have a fragrance but I read that they're hybrids.

metta
Jack

"For a disciple who has conviction in the Teacher's message & lives to penetrate it, what accords with the Dhamma is this:
'The Blessed One is the Teacher, I am a disciple. He is the one who knows, not I." - MN. 70 Kitagiri Sutta

I have a dhamma friend, a member @ my SD group .. pen-name Hasitapada, a retired French lawyer...he always posted about how to meditate..he was also my Dhammapada/jataka stories fan...later he went to Sri Lanka and became a meditator there.

See you @Poem thread/I love your poems,
yawares

Dear Manas,

Thanks for reading my dhamma post...me too, I try to be heedful..and Tep always talks about dhamma with me at breakfast/lunch times. I'm surprised that you and Jack(BlackBird) like Amaryllis flowers...they smell real nice/soft..many colors..I bought just 3 plants and now I have many many...they multiply fast..I gave some to my neighbors.